Dinner parties

Riotous - last night we went to dinner at the landlords who live above "us".  They are hospo folk and entirely lovely and fab fun. BUT they think/assume Irene and I are a couple (or at  least we think they do), which is just riotous.  There were 10 of us all up at dinner, it was a "straight" affair and all couples.  Nobody actually asked us outright but it was most definitely implied!  It had the two of us in hysterics as it has been a long time since either of us have felt "coupled".  Irene, of course, couldn't resist a couple of moments of implied coupledom, noting that I really should be taking her to visit NZ etc.

It was a very personable crowd with another kiwi there as well (who has this hybrid Aussie/kiwi accent going as she did her degree and post grad education in Australia).  Turns out she does body work so I am going to book a session with her to keep myself on track to be able to run the three marathons I have planned for next year (what was that about outrageous goals.....).  The wine was nothing short of fantastic as two of the guests are the wine suppliers to Mohamad and Marmee's restaurant.  I was (as often happens) accosted by the child.......I don't know, it's a height size thing, so spent sometime in her bedroom with the toys.  They also have the cutest little baby boy, who Irene spent time entertaining.

Interesting insight from Irene "OMG you are so exotic, these people so want to engage you about NZ".........after my having to go through several rounds of "NZ is just the most wonderful place".   The notion of my being exotic is even more hilarious as I am the white colonizer with not an ounce of exotic in me.  

Thanks Giving

Thanks Giving week is here again.  I love this week because Americans are so excited about it.....and my experience to date is that there is always some place to go!  This year Pete and his wife invited Irene and I to their house.  This is very sweet (well Irene is a long time friend, so sweet for me as they invited me too!).  Thanks Giving also means a short week with Thursday/Friday a holiday.
NY and Dublin were grand adventures and it's also nice to be home.  It is Saturday and I am lounging in bed.  It feels like the first time in a long while that I've been able to just start my day at leisure without feeling driven to do "something".  All helped by having woken to rain - although the day has now cleared up.  Irene and I are going for a run later today in preparation for her race the first weekend in December.  Irene's not usually a runner but took on the idea a few months back so we registered for a 4 miler (she is a gun cyclist - I am not taking that on).
Work is busy as the boss is on two weeks leave (really I arrived home Saturday and the working week kicked off Sunday with a hand over conference call and then clearing some emails).  I have had several 630am starts with my days ending around 8pm a couple of days this week.  Concurrently with that I have been talking to a few folk about my next project (I roll off this one the first week of December).  There is one I am really interested in (still at Cisco but not a tool change, now that would be a welcome change of pace).....this one is about Voice of the Customer i.e. streamlining how Services communicates/engages with partners who sell their products and services.  I would be a good fit for it as I know all the players already and it's building something from nothing....anyway, I won't know for another week I don't think.  This is the way my world rolls these days, project to project and learning something new at every turn.  Makes me very happy.
I feel incredibly settled and happy here as I feel my working life is affording me huge opportunities and, at last, personally I have found an easier place in the world.  The marathon has given me a huge sense of personal achievement and feeling fitter brings with it all the very positive endorphins that come with exercise.  I am continuing to focus on keeping my life simple while knowing myself well enough to know that if I don't set one or two outlandish goals I will become bored and unsettled.
The longer I am here the more I see or feel that the US does itself no favours in how it is reported in the global press.  I am overwhelming surrounded by people who work incredibly hard, care hugely about the world they live in and are not, by any means, indifferent to the plight of others.  Americans are not entirely crazed, although it may appear that way.  This is a HUGE continent and remarkably diverse.  Corralling the views of 4 million people and gaining alignment is a walk in the park by comparison (e.g. about 1 million folk live in Manhattan, 3 million commute in everyday.....).  Yeah, get that, the entire population of NZ lands in one city here every day.  My world view has changed hugely since I arrived four years ago.  There is a video of me crossing the finish line in NY....I sent a link to a friend and she commented that there were actually three finishing lanes.  It struck me that I had got conditioned to BIG.  Can you imagine 44,000 people running a race in NZ?  There were 30,000 in Nashville and 12,000 in San Jose.  An event of 10,000 (Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge) is iconic in NZ - I don't mean to make flippant comparisons so much as recognize how the benchmark for "normal" has shifted for me. It is simply a different world and one I have adjusted to and enjoy.

Of feral cats, iconic buildings and famous shootings

A while back I mentioned Irene was making a documentary film about how we choose to kill some animals and not others.  Turns out that part of that involves some of the most entertaining, intriguing and oddest of encounters with folk!
A couple of weeks ago she took me off to drive around one of San Francisco's "Projects" - you know, those big ugly housing estates largely populated by people living on or close to the breadline and not the safest of places to be at night.  She was scouting her next filming location where she was following a crazed and committed group of (primarily) women who catch feral cats to take them to be spade and neutered then release them back into the community.  Turns out there is quite a number of folks entirely passionate about feral cats in general.

As a follow-up last night she took me off to City Hall (the iconic building referenced in the title) to attend the San Francisco Commission of Animal Control and Welfare to listen to some very impassioned pleas from the feral cat crowd asking the Commission to work towards legislation to make SF a no kill city i.e. not killing animals that get picked up off the street etc etc.  This followed by some other controversy around Golden Gate Park clearing land that feral cats were living in.  Anyway, it was all very fascinating and a long way from my day job!  As a side bar to all that I was a total tourist.  City Hall is an awesomely beautiful building....very English/European architecture.  While we waited for the meeting to kick off I took a couple of shots, including the obligatory tourist shot of me!

Of famous shootings?  This was where Harvey Milk (the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the US) was assassinated.
Only other interesting thing of note this week......check out the links to the right - Berlin marathon September 2011......woohoo!

NY and Dublin Part 2

Arrived at Dublin airport to run into yet another passport check!  Bernice and Pauline were waiting and it was great to see them and very exciting to finally be in Ireland.  The adventure just got better and better.  Turns out they had a little pad right near the center of town and within in easy walking/cycling distance of most everything we wanted to see.  Delightfully too Joyce, Irish friend who lives in Auckland and who I also worked with at Fletchers, was visiting (she now runs her own wine importing business and visits twice a year).  Yippee, total bonus we all ended up going out to dinner, starting out at a traditional irish pub before moving onto a very stylie lovely restaurant with gorgeous food and a very impressive wine selection (thanks to Joyce).  So weird to suddenly be surrounded by folks from NZ, also very easy.  Chatter flowed easily and it was a delightful night.  The body was still weary I have to say and I fell into bed relaxed, happy and ready for a good nights sleep.

The next morning we headed out on a bus tour around the town.  This was an excellent way to get our bearings as we travelled past all the landmarks, including the Guinness factory.  As always these trips have lots of interesting little tidbits about the town and, while they can sometimes be a little contrived, the easy Irish lilt of the bus driver made his terrible jokes almost funny (okay a couple of them were, even if a little obvious).  After the bus we decided to hire some bikes.  They are public bikes, you use your credit card to unlock them and they are yours to ride around and lock up anywhere you choose.  I think a measure of a city's character has to be whether or not they can sustain this type of thing.  Dublin surely can and people are hugely tolerant of the cyclists on footpaths (there are also bike paths) and the bikes are well cared for.  As you can see in the picture - they aren't glamours but they are functional and the very best way to get around.

After biking for a few hours we wandered around the shops some and then, finally, committed to having a Guinness.  Bars in Ireland are great places - always humming and always something to look at.  One of the highlights had to be Temple Bar, which is everything you would want and imagine in an Irish pub!  For those that have been to Dublin you will already know it as a famous destination.....the place hummed and we had some live music as well (most everywhere seemed to have live music).  I'm not really a big Guinness drinker but Guinness in Ireland was hugely nicer than any Guinness I've had anywhere else - it wasn't as bitter or strong tasting as I usually find Guinness.  Could have just been the romance of the thing (well and post marathon everything tastes good!).
The next day we headed to Howth on the train.  This is a sweet little fishing village that has working boats and great seafood restaurants.  Bernice didn't come along on this adventure but the three of us arrived to a very blustery day with impressive seas and a very cool breeze.  After wondering around a little (I'd confess to feeling quite weary on this day, the body was definitely looking for some down time) we found a nice little seafood restaurant beside the harbor, complete with something resembling a fire.  Afterwards and before catching the train back into Dublin we went into a local fish shop where Rose charmed them all and we bought some fish for dinner, having decided that this night was a stay at home kind of night.
Our final day (or morning) was spent shopping and enjoying the most yummy Guinness Beef Stew.....everything and more you would hope for in a stew.  All washed down with a Guinness and, yet again, accompanied by live music.  Irelands a grand wee place and Dublin and grand wee town - with a total population of 4 million I couldn't actually imagine living there as it does seem a little small.  That said, lovely to visit and with delightful company.

Dublin to Heathrow where Rose and I parted company as she met a friend and stayed an additional two days.  Meanwhile I headed off to my little "pod" Hotel in Terminal 4 and was more than delighted to hole up in the cutest little room I've ever seen!  I was "sitting" in the bathroom taking this shot.  Might not be big but it was all very functional, clean and relatively cheap given I had to be at Terminal 1 by 8am it was a fine option.
My 11 hour flight home turned into 16 as we ended up with someone on board getting ill so had to divert to some place in Canada to drop them off.  Upside though, Virgin Atlantic crew are very pleasant, they happened to have three pilots on board so we could continue on and the movie selection is excellent.  I figured if it was me that was ill I'd like to be dropped off too so was happy enough to surf movies, doze and reflect on the whirlwind of SFO - JFK - 26.2 miles - JFK - Heathrow - Dublin - Guinness - Heathrow - SFO, all in a mere 8 days!

NY and Dublin Part 1

Back home having had a grand time, both in NY and Dublin.  As promised, posting some photos, didn't take a lot but Rose is sending more so will post those when they arrive too. On the left the post race shot, on the right the glamourous attire I wore for the mile walk home - heat sheets may not be the warmest thing in the world but they do, at least, keep the wind off! Bottom left.....yummiest glass of wine ever!  Also included a shot of the first bridge at the start of the race (1 mile up hill, didn't feel a thing.....and yep, seriously it's that crowded and then some!).
Rose and I didn't really do a lot of sight seeing in NY, it was all about the marathon.  But the one thing we did do was the entire route on a bus as part of the Friends and Family tour.  The great thing about this was it allowed Rose to see exactly where I would be running.  The weirdness being spectators have to be very selective about where they are on the route as it's really challenging to traverse the crowds.  The bus trip was totally fascinating, taking us past some well known landmarks and introducing us to new ones.  Both of us really enjoyed it.

The night before the race we also stumbled across this really fab Japanese restaurant.  A second floor venue we noticed it from across the street.  Gyu-Kaku is Japanese BBQ.  We sat at our table with a little BBQ inset and watched as food was rolled out to us (chose a set menu) with a range of delicious meats and fish and mushrooms, we then BBQ then one slice at a time.  Totally fab and the perfect pre.race meal for me.  I didn't have the wine but Rose certainly enjoyed it!
Monday morning I woke up feeling a little stiff but we had a leisurely start.  We set off to go and look at the marathon store post race but when we got there it was crazed so we both shrugged it off and started walking down 5th avenue.  While I did get my medal and my tee shirt I'd confess to indulging in something a little more glamorous as my remembrance.  Tiffany offer a line of commemorative items around the race. The whole collection is here, but I opted for the oval ring tag that you can get engraved.  Made me very happy I have to say.
Rose and I spent the day wandering the streets, good for my aching muscles and weary body, but I did, perhaps, over extend a little and we ended up needing to get a cab back to the hotel so we could catch (what turned out to be) our stretch limo to the airport!  Before you all groan we had ordered a town car (which isn't much more than a taxi cost wise BUT, for whatever reason a limo turned up).  Needless to say Rose and I giggled liked fools about the whole thing - it was a lovely ride though!!!!
Security done we settled in for the flight to Heathrow.  While we had a four hour layover most of it was sucked up being sent to the wrong terminal, all of which involved numerous security checkpoints....it was tedious and I was struggling a little with the amount of walking required (turns out marathons are quite wearying on the body).  Enough to say that bloody mary's at 10am in the morning ease many pains (well technically it was more like 1am NY time).  Of course that also meant that we were both asleep for wheels up and woke as wheels came down.
Meeting Pauline and Bernice at the airport was the start of our Dublin adventures.

Crossing my line

Back from adventuring so will keep telling the marathon story.
Running across the finish line brought a mixture of total relief, elation and aching legs! I felt overwhelmed at the thought that I'd actually done it. August 2009 I could hardly run 3 miles. In December I decided to run the marathon, it was craziness. Running with 44000 people is....big. Parts of the course are really congested and the water stations crazed and a little dangerous as it's easy to run into someone or slip on the thousands of discarded cups. Along the way people have also dropped kit so at times it's all pretty treacherous. Crazily at times spectators would cross in front of runners, really dangerous for both runners and spectator. Despite all of that people were amazingly good natured. You see some remarkable courage from other runners; people with disabilities hanging in there, exhausted folk determined to finish, friends and strangers supporting one another.
Crossing the line everyone is out of it and crowded into a small space as we get channeled through to pick up our medals,get our heat sheets and our bags with food and water. I quickly cooled down and had to figure how the hell to get out of Central Park. Took me a little while and it was with no small amount of horror I realized that I had to walk up and down some stairs OMG. Navigated that and worked my way through the crowd to meet up with Rose who had warm clothes and chocolate milk. Got to our meeting point, no Rose. In the end I had to leave and would confess to it taking me an hour to walk a mile. I just wrapped up in the heat sheet and concentrated on taking the shortest route possible back to the hotel. I felt bad for not seeing Rose but had to keep moving or risk seizing up entirely. Real highpoint had to be random strangers congratulating me!

Done done done

Can't load photos here yet (not until after Ireland) but had to capture the buzz that is running the NY Marathon. This was a totally awesome experience beginning to end! Fortunately the TFKs pick up was just around the corner from the hotel. Rose walked with me at 530am and I boarded one of the 10 buses on hand. People were friendly but we were all a little wound up. 45min trip to Staten Island. Rose and I had gone on the marathon bus tour on Saturday so I had some insight into what to expect once we arrived. With around 45000 people running and all the volunteers Fort Wadsworth had turned into a little village. TFKs had a separate tent space while most others had to find a place on the ground. I sat in a sunny patch and tried to keep warm. I had new "throw away" sweats so was reasonably warm. While we were there around 730 I wasn't due to run until 1010.....three waves starting from 940.....wheelchairs and the professionals had gone out already. 45mins before the start we did a warm up and in the end all went into one corral to run as a team. The place was jam packed. As we moved toward our start people shed clothing, which is then collected and given to charity. As we prepared to start they played New York New York over the speakers and everyone sung! Then we were off. Course starts at the Verrazano Bridge and all up hill for the first mile. Honestly you feel so high you don't even notice. I just tried to not go out too fast and keep a steady pace. As we ran through the various boroughs the crowds were totally amazing cheering yelling encourage place just hummed. I never even put my I-pod on. The only area with no spectators was the orthodox jewish area in Brooklyn. These folk wear traditional garb and live very strictly by religious laws. It was very surreal as the suburbs on either side were crazed. Definitely to big highlights....turning onto 1st ave in Manhatten and seeing the sea of heads bobbing along for miles ahead and turning into Harlem coming over the bridge from the Bronx (which as a hard section.....people starting to lose it as we were coming up on mile 22....if you had gone out too hard this was where it hit you). Rose and I had preset some meeting places but we totally missed each other. A bummer for rose....looking for her kept me distracted though. I really started to feel the pain with two miles to go (no matter what distance always at 2 miles to go). Turning into Central Park for those last 400 feet was crazed and I determinedly attempted a little sprint at the end - crossed the line grinning from ear to ear, legs aching and close to happy tears....more later, in Dublin now and about to go out adventuring.

NYC and the marathon expo

We landed in NY at 730am having taken the redeye overnight from SF. A good way to travel as it turns out.It's a 5 and a half hour flight overnight so we basically slept all the way. Checked into the hotel in midtown Manhatten and headed off to the expose. Gave up on the free shuttle when we realized it was only going to be 10 bucks to catch a cab. Expo was totally full on. Rose went in search of coffee and I joined the que to get my race number and goodie bag. Met a really nice doctor who was running NY for his 8th time. Really nice guy who had been to NZ. Got my stuff and checked in with Team for Kids to get more stuff and confirm the shuttle to the start line. Turns out pick up is 630am and just around the corner from our hotel. We also get a special tent to wait in as we don't run until 10:10. Rose and I wandered around the expo....it was mega busy today, going to be crazed tomorrow as the next wave of runners arrives in town. Afterwards headed of to Times Square to eat and have a look around. Back at the hotel now. Me taking it easy, Rose going out sightseeing. It's all amazing and very excited to be here.

SFO - NY - 26.2miles - Dublin - SFO

Let the games begin.......

Days to go and Rose has landed!

Counting down single digit days now......wow!  A lot of logistics involved in this thing.  Fly out of SFO late Thursday night, land NY 7am Friday.  Got to go to the expo and pick up my race packet (number, timing chip, teeshirt....and whatever goodies are included).  Also got to go to the Team for Kids desk and confirm my ride to the race start - special bus leaving at 630am from Manhatten.  They have a TFKs tent we can hang out in then we go to our start corrals.  I'm not due to start running until 10:10am.  There are three waves with a bunch of corrals.  TFKs have cheering stations along the way so going to see if I can get Rose into one of them so we are at least guaranteed to see each other once on the run.  My butt is finally coming right - ouch, that was quite a moment!
Post NY we fly to Dublin for four days then back to London overnight.  Because of the way my flights work I am go to stay at the airport in this cool little Yotel.  Tiny little PODs which suit me perfectly and they do have a bathroom.

Rose arrived Friday - yippee, lovely to see her.  Friday night we headed to the local Japanese restaurant and had a mega feast.  Photo on right shows the very impressive sashimi dish we ordered, complete with dried ice....made for quite and impressive feast.
Also had her shopping at Cosco for party goodies (this is a mega mega sized warehouse type place, everything comes in supersize).  Saturday we went dog walking with Irene and her pal Julia, beautiful dog park on the coast, little bit of wandering around the Mission (including Mexican food) and then parrrrrtay.  It was fab!  Around 30 people showed in the end and the whole thing just took off.  Some were meant to head off to other places and they just stayed around.  It was a very eclectic mix of folk so could have gone either way I guess.  As it turned out, went our way and there were lots of laughs and chatting.  House now totally warmed.  Sent Rose off to Santa Cruz with Michelle and Marcia so she could see the ole hometown.  She arrived back today and has dutifully headed off to the gym.  I've had to work throughout but still getting some nice time together.

My very cool artwork is now in residence and looks very fine hanging above my bed.  Love my room, this completes it.
Also got a little extra added bonus gift on the right, so little tastes of kiwi have landed (well not to mention all the kiwi lollies now sitting in my cupboard!).

The week that is

The week has flown by and mostly consisted of days starting with 7am conference calls and ending around 8pm; long and a little stressful as folk aren't necessarily playing nice with us!  I've been pulling together a bunch of training materials, having items reviewed and working on a daily basis with the boys in India.  I do like them, they are very sweet and responsive.  I have learnt so much in these last four months and think that (so far at least) the move to the new job has been a good one.  I think too, as I learn more about how the company operates, I will be able to make an even bigger contribution and feel there is lots of scope to grow.  Seems it's all been a risk worth taking.
Sunday I went to Zoe and Pam's for the football event.  It was great fun.  The folk their were just hilarious, total football nuts and, I have to confess, that even I was able to follow some of the more exciting plays.  They also all knew all the football gossip including stories about one of the star players sending nude photos of himself to some chick, while wearing crocs....not sure if it was the nude pic or the crocs that horrified people more.  Some did speculate that perhaps members of the All Blacks might behave in a similar way.  I assured them All Blacks wouldn't wear crocs....beyond that I couldn't comment!  Because Wisconsin were playing Zoe put on a "Wisconsin" food festival.  The local food seems to consist of brats (and the attendant condiments), potato salad, cheese, meat, gherkins etc etc followed by some pastry things that, in sum, could all be summed up as a heart attack waiting to happen.  I was assured by the ex.natives of the region that this was, in fact, exactly how the locals ate, every day!  So I can tick this one off as another little cultural moment in the U.S of A.
Tonight I went for a four mile run.  I am tapering for NY now but, given the butt drama combined with work, I've run even less than I should.  Today is the first day though where my butt hasn't hurt, so I guess it's getting better.  The bruising is still rather impressive.  Too bad, running NY, so it better keep up!
Rose arrives tomorrow.....yippee.

A taste of Cat Power

This concert was a riot.  I recorded this on my Blackberry to give you a flavour of the music.  This chick is totally awesome to listen to, the sound that comes out of her mouth doesn't quite fit the "look".  Irene had somehow managed to get us tickets front and center so we had a fantastic view of the whole show.  While "Cat" is awesome she is also totally crazed - her body and facial movements were an endless source of fascination and, at one point, she just walked off stage.......the band just carried on while we waited for her to return.  Five years ago she did this more than once and often didn't return (Irene went to one concert where she just announced she couldn't do this, sorry and walked off stage).  Cat also has some seriously crazed groupies - all relatively young women who clearly idolize her - watching them "perform" was equally entertaining!  Anyway, great night, drove up to Napa (about an hour or so away) in driving rain, met up with Irene's friend ("our" hairdresser, Connie) her mother and husband had a quick dinner and headed to the theater.  Got home around midnight, both buzzed and delighted by the whole thing.

Well that was a week.....

So the whole butt injury has proven to be quite the challenge to manage.  I did go for my run midweek but it was a challenge and I realized I needed to give myself more time to recover. Arrrrrrrgh - resting is lovely but it isn't exactly the right time to be "resting".  Fitness wise I probably have lost a little of my edge but the real challenge is your mind, losing confidence is quite a challenging thing to correct.  The mind plays tricks, telling you your body isn't up for it and, really, you don't have to do that (okay that would be a part of my mind that doesn't really take that type of rationale seriously) - it's a battle of wills at this point.  So today I made it my goal to run to the Ferry Building and back, no compromises, no changing my mind, no whimping out, just get out there and do it.  It's only 8miles (13k), that's a little under a third of a marathon distance.  So run it I did.  Three awesome things to come out of it. 1.  I can still run; my mind and body are willing. 2.  Some of the other little niggly muscle strains I have been nursing appear to have eased, given the break. 3.  My butt is not yet a 100% functioning muscle but it is good to run on (and ice now I am back) and should be fully functioning by the time the marathon comes around.  Keep the mind focused and the body will arrive.

Work was at an all time peak.  Most of my deliverables are coming due and I am still on a big learning curve around managing the training.  As is always the way, as we lead into a release people go a little crazy so I've also had to manage down some expectations and hose down some other people who are, quite frankly, insane.  My old job involved a lot of hosing people down so stepping back up to the edge of that has reminded me that, sooner, rather than later, I will be back in the point role.  Although I have no idea where I might land next (almost 100% sure it will be Cisco....and that is what I am asking/looking for) - current role is due to end at the end of December - so we shall see.  It seems, too, that I've got myself involved in writing a second white paper.  So enough to say that I am busy.

Irene and I off to Cat Power in Napa tonight.  Irene's playing the music around the house so that I can know what to expect.  I like it so all going well should be a fun evening.

Butt update

Because I know you are all fascinated......I have THE most impressive bruise on my arse!  I refused Irene's kind offer to photograph it and post to the blog, you will just have to imagine.  Today I am going to go for a run - it is still tender but nothing like it was.  Clearly nothing terminal has happened - Monday my body ached from the fall and I got to notice all the other bumps, including the bruising that is around the lil gash I have in my arm - I was a wreck, today I feel positively sparkly by comparison.
Last night I got on a conference call to NY that TFK run about preparing for the marathon.  Apart from the fact that some people are ...... hmmm ...... less than stellar at knowing how to mute their bloody phones so we can hear what the presenter is saying.....it was excellent.  They took us through the entire course and talked us through pacing, what to watch out for at various stages and even had this very cool idea for surviving the last four miles (given all of us have now run 22).  They suggest dedicating each mile to a person, someone who would never let you down and that you would do about anything for.   Idea is as you start the mile you are focused on that person.  You won't think about them the whole way but when you doubt (or your body does) you just refocus, then the mile is done and you move onto the next person.  I thought it was a cool idea and as good as any to help the mind get over what the body can do but the mind isn't entirely convinced about.

My butt hurts

This might be a little TMI but I am 19 days out from the marathon so I get to be a little crazed.  Yesterday I fell down the outside stairs at home.....and my butt hurts!!!!  Clumsy I know but it was raining, the stairs were wet, I was on Lotte watch and taking her out (being on Lotte watch is actually quite nice, it's lovely to have a beastie around again and she is quite a character.....strong character.....anyway back to my butt).  My foot slipped out from under and my right buttock slammed into the step and I promptly slid down two more.  Arrrrrrrrrgh - first thought "fuk, the marathon, I better not have chipped anything", second thought "gotta take Lotte outside".  Poor thing, I gave her about as big a fright as myself.  Apart from the shock, which had me feel kind of ill (but I think that had more to do with thinking maybe I'd screwed the marathon) I appeared to be in reasonable order.....well nothing appeared broken.  Fact is my butt isn't the most heavily padded of places so I still wasn't entirely sure how much damage I had done.  Needless to say spent a good part of the day variously icing my arse and waiting for the bruising to show through.  I am still able to walk but can't run (yet) as I've clearly done some soft tissue damage......so there, that's why my butt hurts!
Other things.  I've been involved in some recruiting at work.  This is fun and kind of funny to think I've only been with Accenture for three months and now I get to comment on whether or not someone is a "fit".....funnier still that I have no qualms about saying "no", even if they are a skill fit, much like my old job - people have to fit into the team as well.  All good practice/learning for me and something outside of my day job.  Speaking of, I've learnt more than I ever thought I would about pulling together a training plan....herding cats in the process and generally how bloody complicated it is.  Fortunately Melissa (my current boss) is a guru at this stuff so has been excellent at pointing me in the right direction.  Other fun thing, as a team we've decided to put together a "white paper" on using offshore vs onshore resources for projects.  It will be grand if it all comes together and we get it published (internally)......will see how it goes - just something on the side!
This weekend Irene and I are driving up to Napa for a Cat Power concert.  Needless to say I had never heard of her but Irene is a fan.  Her music kind of suits me, a little mournful and ballad like.....well and she also has some more techno sounding stuff (all of which is a terrible description - so go listen!).
Sunday going around to watch Football (american football) at Zoe and Pams.  They have a bunch of folk coming over - I won't understand what is going on but I'm sure someone will explain!
Then one more week to Rosie.........yippee, then one more week to NY......then four days to Dublin....

Totally awesome

And now they are all free.....but I so loved this guys accent that I just had to post this!

Fleet Week, 22 miles/35 km and adventuring

So these things have been buzzing over the city for the last few days - they are the Blue Angels.  It is Fleet Week.  To save myself alot of grief this is how Wikipedia describes it:
Fleet Week is a United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard tradition in which active military ships recently deployed in overseas operations dock in a variety of major cities for one week. Once the ships dock, the crews can enter the city and visit its tourist attractions. At certain hours, the public can take a guided tour of the ships. Often, Fleet Week is accompanied by military demonstrationsand air shows such as provided by the Blue Angels.


We all know I like things military but Fleet Week proved to be an added bonus for me today as I did my longest and last big run before New York (22 miles).  8am this morning I set out to (again) run from Potrero Ave to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge (with an added leg to get me the extra two miles I needed).  As I hit the Embarcadero there was a lot of action going on (although, thankfully, not yet a lot of people involved).  Various military types and vendors were gearing up for the flood of people that arrive at the waterfront to enjoy the show, visit the ships and generally hang out.  As I got closer to the Golden Gate Bridge more and more folk were setting up "camp" and I started to see the Destroyers coming into port.  Place was humming.  All types of military folk decked out in full regalia.  Although I did make one slightly disconcerting observation.....why is that the adults that are in charge of the Cadets look so god awful in their uniforms and are, inevitably, overweight and unhealthy looking?
That aside, I think I can say with some authority now that 22 miles is a long way........so I was very grateful for all the distractions!  I arrived home in better condition than I might have expected, although still stiff and wondering how tomorrow might feel.
Given that little adventure took me four hours I was cutting it close to get to my haircut.....yay to Irene who dropped me off and picked me up (walking Lotte in between).   Given it was Irene's hairdresser the salon wasn't hard to find....for her, I think I might well have got a little lost as it sits in a nest of one way streets!
Tomorrow morning I'm having breakfast with a new friend (or potential new friend I guess) that Michelle and I met at Mango.  I am being brave about getting out and meeting more new folk, which was the whole point of moving to the city.  After that taking the bike down to Santa Cruz to spend a day helping clear Marcia's yard (all part of her 40th birthday present).
Nice busy weekend and running the 22 is a great confidence booster.....which is, I guess, why they have you do it now in the training program.

The things nobody tells you.....

about running a marathon......well actually about preparing to run a marathon.  29 days out, things to know:
1.  Paranoia - alive and well, deeply fearful about getting injured.  Every little tweak, odd new pain or ache sends the mind into a spiral of "what if this is really bad".  Not at all helped this week by Zoe having discovered she can't run the Nike Women's Marathon two weeks from now (and she has been insanely training for it and we ran 20 miles together a few weeks back) because she has a stress fracture in her foot.  Stress fractures are special badges of honour.....they mean you have been training hard.....too hard and they are scary and they are common among "novice" runners training for marathons.  Deep breathes, breathing in and out!  Zoe chose a different training regime from me, she is an icon and she is tough, she is two weeks out, I am four.....
2.  Anticipation - mine, and others.  Okay so I'm my own worst enemy on this one.  Of course I'm anticipating it but I enrolled a whole bunch of folks in this as well....talked/talking about it obsessively etc etc etc.  Well now everyone is anticipating; it's good and it's weird and and and
3.  Fear - blood curdling cold fear.  Although I'm not sure what of.  Frankly I think I'm more scared of not being able to run it than actually running it!  See point 1.
4.  Surprise - ummm yeah, this "thing" might actually be going to happen.  Seriously, I remember the day I thought "I can do that, I'm going to do that".  December 2009 (not that long ago), sat in the cottage having read Ultra Marathon Man and decided "...if he can do that then I can do this.....".  No one close by to say "wtf?", instead everyone said "okaaaaaay, then go for it" or variations on a theme.  One notable "well, that's ambitious..".  September 2009 it took me an hour to run 5 miles / 4 kms.....and it seriously seriously hurt. Tomorrow I run 22 miles / 32 km....and I will feel exactly the degree of hurt I felt when I ran that first 5 miles (maybe more)......understanding that is totally weird.
5.  Elation - I might actually pull this off.  This not unlike how I felt immigrating to the US.
6.  Finally, over it - over thinking about it, focusing on it, being angsty about it, worrying about it, anticipating it, wanting it, dreaming about it, feeling guilty about not training or not training hard enough or drinking or eating the wrong things.......ready. to. run. now.

Rock n Roll

Picture of the team who ran on Sunday.  Lila and Jon (who I stayed with and ran in Nashville with), Julie (who replaced me in my old job and was on the team with Lila and I), me and Lynda (a friend of Lila and Jon's).  Funny too - I mentioned that I had signed on to the Big Sur Marathon in May..........Jon's signed on now too and Lila is planning to run the 5k! Yay, running buddies!

San Jose Half Marathon.....done

Had a grand weekend heading to San Jose on Saturday to stay over for the half marathon on Sunday.  Stayed with Lila and Jon, who I housesat for last year.  All the pets are still in residence!  Saturday the local restaurant (renovated garage I have mentioned before) had an Oktoberfest event so we headed on over for dinner to drink beer (not too much) and meet up with Julie (who I worked with in the old team) and her family.  It was a really pleasant evening, meeting the locals and enjoying some very yummy trout!  Afterwards we went back to Lila and Jons' and watched Michael Jacksons "This Is It" - it was fab, totally had me revise my view of him....incredibly talented man; it's a movie worth watching (I'd avoided it like the plague....my bad).  Up very early Sunday (as in 5:30, although start time not until 8am).  Funny thing about running these races is, unless you have running buddies that run to your time, you don't actually end up running with them.  It was nice to have peeps there to go to the event (we met Julie as we walked over to the start) and have peeps at the end.....really nice, need to find more running buddies me thinks (photo to come).  Came in at 1:58, so under 2hrs makes me happy.....feel maybe I should have gone faster but then I remember that I am going to have to do twice that for the marathon so I think my body/mind just goes "nah we're good".  Afterwards headed off for some lunch and a Lemon Drop.....yum.  Headed back to San Fran around 2ish.

"We" have had a minor household trauma.  As part of the regular and rather impressive exercise regime Lotte has she had an unfortunate encounter with "something" sharp, cutting her paw pad quite badly.  Good mother that Irene is off to the vet it was......and so it was, minor surgery, three stitches and a very bright pink bandage (we really aren't going to mention the bucket contraption she's now supposed to sport for 10 days.......omg and no rigorous exercise).  Herewith a shot of Lotte, looking.....Out.Of.It (thank you to my beloved exes who took me through some major surgeries and resisted the temptation to take any photographs).  For those that follow this blog on a regular basis you will note that she appears to be lying on my bed.  Well she is!  Lotte has got every fond of my bed - apparently Temperapedics are the lastest in dog "wear".  She also seems to like my room.  Neither Irene nor I really understand why but enough to say doped out dog belonged exactly where she was placed and drifted off into a drug hazed comma while Irene and I variously hovered!  Lotte is fine, or will be, but it is rather unsettling when the "children" hurt themselves!